EconSource: Saudi Arabia to Support Egypt with $3 Billion of Loans, Grants

By EconSource

Saudi Arabia has agreed to provide Egypt with more than $3 billion in loans and grants to support the country’s economy. The kingdom will loan Egypt $1.5 billion to develop the Sinai Peninsula and $1.2 billion to finance Egypt’s oil purchases, Egyptian Minister of International Cooperation Sahar Nasr said.

Egypt will also receive a $500 million grant to buy Saudi exports and product. Nasr said the loans will be signed on Tuesday. Last month, Saudi Arabia promised to invest $8 billion in Egypt through its public and sovereign funds. Nasr urged Saudi Arabia to expedite investment in energy, housing, and tourism. Also in December, Egypt announced it was negotiating $1.5 billion in loans for development in the Sinai with the Kuwait Fund for Development, the Abu Dhabi Fund, the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, and the Islamic Development Fund. Nasr’s comments came as she arrived in Riyadh to chair the third meeting of the Egyptian-Saudi Coordination Council. [Bloomberg, Ahram Online, 1/4/2016]

Fitch says Saudi budget is positive but large deficit to remainFitch ratings agency said that Saudi Arabia’s 2016 budget shows a “commitment to reform” but warned that the country’s deficit will remain in the double digits due to low global oil prices. Fitch praised Saudi efforts to rationalize expenditure, increase non-oil revenues, and improve the fiscal policy framework. However, Fitch noted that the budget’s projected deficit of 13.5 percent of gross domestic product is “by far the largest fiscal deficit that the Saudi authorities have budgeted for” and suggests an oil price assumption of around $40 per barrel. This would mark the second successive year Saudi Arabia sees a budget deficit in the double digits. Fitch warned that the impact of reforms on the deficit “will depend on the pace and extent of implementation and the size of offsetting measures to allay the effect on low- and middle-income families.” [Reuters, FT, 1/5/2015Turkey sees $1.2 billion of extra revenue in 2016 after tax hikesTurkey expects an additional 3.6 billion lira ($1.21 billion) of revenue this year after introducing tax hikes on alcohol and tobacco products, mobile phones, and some highway and bridge tolls, a senior official said Tuesday. "The tax hike on alcoholic beverages and tobacco products will bring in an extra 3 billion lira. Tax hikes on mobile phones and tolls are expected to generate 300 million lira in additional revenue each," the official said. [Reuters, Hurriyet, 1/5/2015]